Magnetic safety razor



Dec. 11, 1962 G. T. RANDOL MAGNETIC SAFETY RAZOR Original Filed Feb. 15, 1957 United States Patent 3,067,513 MAGNETIC SAFETY RAZOR Glenn T. Randal, 2nd Ave. and Paull St., Box 275 Mountain Lake Park, Md. Continuation of application Ser. No. 639,949, Feb. 13, 1957. This application May 4, 1959, Ser. No. 810,794 5 Claims. (Cl. 30-74) The present invention relates generally to safety razors providing manual blade changing, and more particularly to the type utilizing an expendable blade having a single cutting edge opposite a butt edge, with insertion of the blade taking place transversely with respect to the razorcutting components. This application is a continuation of my prior copending application Serial No. 639,949 filed February 13, 1957, now abandoned.

Broadly, my invention seeks to provide a novel and improved safety razor construction incorporating magnetic means for grasping the butt edge of an inserted blade of the character set forth, said means providing for individual blade insertion, preferably by hand, and for inertial relative movement of the blade in response to motion manually imparted to the razor while the head is open to accommodate washing the blade and head without necessitating blade removal, or the likelihood of fortuitous displacement of the blade irrespective of the position in which the razor is held while open.

In the art of safety razors, the problems of blade loading and of washing the lather from the blade cutting components to keep the latter unclogged, as by water flow, during a shaving operation, and also of providing for drying the cutting edge for subsequent use, without removing the blade from the razor until a blade change is required, have received considerable attention. For example, various types of razors have been proposed for use with separate blade magazines difiicult' to attach and operate with no means for thoroughly cleaning the blade while shaving nor for inserting an individual blade by hand when a loaded blade dispenser is not available, some have blade holders movable relatively to the cutting edge guard to facilitate loading and cleaning of the blade, others necessitating the cost of a new blade for each shave, while most of them incorporate a cutting edge guard integral with a rigid blade platform having intricate openings adjacent thereto which attempt to keep the cutting edge free of the beard-ladened lather plus mechanical blade retaining means difiicult to maintain properly adjusted for unfailing operation; but none which eliminates mechanical blade-controlling parts during loading of the blade manually, and subsequently accommodate cleaning of the cutting edge and razor head as the shaving operation progresses without removal or displacement otherwise of the blade from the razor with the added advantage of preserving the cutting edge for subsequent .use as by thoroughly drying it upon completion of a shave.

The present invention, therefore, seeks as a primary object to advance the art by providing a'razor of the last-mentioned type. More specifically, the present invention provides a razor having a sli-dably mounted blade platform having spring action in one direction to impinge a blade in a variable blade channel disposed between cutting edge stops carried forwardly on the marginal edge extremes of the platform, and permanent magnet means "ice carried rearwardly on a member fixed to the razor handle and on which the platform slides relatively thereto whereby the butt edge of the blade is grasped by said magnetic means to hold the blade in proper position for subsequent clamping, while the razor head is open for either cleaning or removal of the blade, and a top clamping member pivotally mounted on the fixed member and. interconnected with the blade platform by slot and pin means whereby the said spring action retracts the platform and simultaneously establishes the clamping member in blade clamping position and when said platform is moved in opposition to said spring action by manual pressure applied to a rearwardly projecting integral finger-piece, the blade channel is widened and the clamping member simultaneously retracted to release the blade for cleaning or removal, said member having attached to its underside medially thereof a leaf spring member formed with an inturned loop which projects into an opening between the upstanding legs of preferably a pair of U-shaped magnetic elements, for controlling the butt edge of the blade into engagement with the curved surface of the magnetic leg-s and to enable movement of the blade with the clamping member when opened without breaking the magnetic hold on the blade, thereby maintaining the blade in proper position for clamping in shaving position. A further salient feature is optionally provided by establishing a neutral non-magnetic zone along the curved surface of the magnetic legs, as by a strip of non-ferrous material embedded in the magnetic surface in alignment with the open position of the clamping member to automatically break the magnetic hold on the butt edge of the blade to facilitate its removal from the razor head. The inturned end of the leaf spring loop aforesaid also serves to support the butt edge of the blade at a slight angle with respect to the platform when the razor head is closed for the most favorable shaving angle of the cutting edge, and, as noted above, when the clamping member is opened this portion of the leaf spring sweeps the blade therewith to place the cutting edge in position for cleaning or for blade removal with the butt edge held by the magnetic means through substantially the full arc of pivotal movement of the member, yet the butt edge may have limited pivotal movement with respect to the clamping member by reason of the angular pocket formed by the spring loop with respect to the blade sides to insure that both sides of the blade can be reached by water fiow to thoroughly cleanse the same and the razor head parts.

A further salient feature of my invention is provided by the aforementioned pin and slot connecting means which mechanically connects the clamping member and platform whereby said spring operating force applied to the clamping member via the platform closes the razor head to impinge the blade between the clamping member, the platform stops and magnetic means. When manual operating force is applied to said finger-piece on the platform to open the razor head the pin and slot action retracts the clamping member and a predetermined separation of the platform stops from the cutting edge ex-. tremities of the blade occurs to thus widen the blade channel and thereby release the blade to have relative oscillatory movement responsive to razor motion. with respect to the magnetic means and the clamping member to full open disposition of the razor head wherein the blade 021 may be removed or cleaned. Upon release of the platform toward clamping position as by removal of manual pressure from the finger-piece, the platform stops engage the corners of the cutting edge immediately followed by the clamping member engaging the outer marginal surface of the blade adjacent its cutting edge with the butt edge grasped by the magnetic means to condition the razor for shaving.

The present invention, therefore, facilitates blade insertion, removal, and cleaning while minimizing the risk of personal injury attendant thereto, without using mechanical means for releasably holding the blade within the razor head while open to any extent, said magnetic holding means having the dual function of drawing the blade from the hand into the razor head and holding it in proper position within the blade channel for subsequent clamping in shaving'position automatically.

Other important objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale, of a razor construction embodying the principles of the present invention, the lower portion of the included handle being broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view on a further enlarged scale taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1 showing details of the handle connection to the razor head and included operating spring therefor;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan of the razor head illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevation on a further enlarged scale viewed as indicated by line 4-4 in FIGURE 3 with fragmentary portions thereof shown in section for clarity of detail;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view on the same scale as FIGURE 4 and taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the slidable blades'upporting platform per se, the scale corresponding to that of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 on the same scale as FIGURE 5, demonstrating the relative disposition of the parts when the head is fully open for a blade changing operation.

Referring to the drawing, letter R designates generally 'a Safety razor incorporating the principles of the present invention. The lower end of the razor handle 14 is broken away to conserve space, the upper end section of the handle being designated 16.

Surmounting said handle upper end section 16, is the razor head generally designated RH which includes three interfitting members cooperating to provide a variable blade chamber 18 therebetween having a variable blade channel, and which function as a support extension or base segment 20 rigid with said handle end, a slidable blade platform 21 and a pivoted top wall or clamping member 22 with members 20, 22 having aligned end wall segments 24, 26 integral respectively therewith.

The upper end surface 39 of the handle is obliquely formed as shown, and an inverted U-shaped bracket 31 including a correspondingly oblique web segment 32, is rigidly secured to the support extension 20 of the razor head as by rivets 33 as shown in FIGURE 4 to form a unitary assembly thereof. Leg segments 34 of the bracket 31 extend into recesses 35 provided therefor in the side faces of handle extension 16, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 5.

' Formed on the transverse centerline in said support extension 20 of the razor head, is an opening 37 the width of which is slightly greater than that of a leaf spring 39 best illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, and 5. In the assembled status of the razor, the upper flexible end 40 of said spring extends through the opening 37 to project into an elongated longitudinal slot 41 provided 4 in the slidably mounted blade-supporting platform 21', that is portrayed per se in FIGURE 6, and will be fully detailed in the course of the description to follow.

The lower or opposite end of the leaf spring 39 is. inturned at 44, and in the assembled razor, the inturned end 44 is seated in a longitudinal recess 45 provided in the forward face of the upper end section of the handle, and a sleeve or band 46 of rectangular configuration is split longitudinally as at 47, encircles or encases said handle section 16, said bracket 31, and the lower extreme 44 of said spring 39, as clearly illustrated in FIGURES; 2 and 5, to anchor the lower spring end with the upper flexing end 40 thereof normally pretensioned at an angleto the lower end whereby the slidable platform 21 is, continuously urged rearwardly. A transversely inserted rivet 50 retains all of these parts in place in a plane of angularity with respect to the handle conducive to efficient and smooth shaving operations.

Formed centrally through the front Wall 51 of theband 46 is a transversely disposed slot 53, the width of which is slightly greater than that of the leaf spring 39* whereby as will appear, the upper flexible portion 40 may oscillate toward and away from the handle section 16.

A pair of permanent magnets 55 preferably U-shape in configuration are rigidly mounted on the rear marginal edge of the support extension 20 as by rivets 57', in longitudinally spaced relationship to provide an open space 58 therebetween centrally disposed with respect to the razor head, the legs 59 of each magnet being joined atthe. bottom by a bridging element 60 through which: the securing-rivets aforesaid project and the upper ends or poles of said legs each have a curved surface 61 with longitudinal-1y aligned portions of each curved surface embedded with a non-magnetic strip 62 such as fibre, brass, etc., to provide an important feature of the present invention as will appear.

With attention now directed to the end wall segments- 24, 26 on the base segment and clamping members re-- spectively as best demonstrated in FIGURE-S 1, 3 and 7, the segments 24 integral with the support extension: or base segment 20 have formed therein an elongated slot 64, the lower wall of each slot being co-planar with the top surface of the support extension 20. Each of the side Wall segments 26 integral with the top clamp-- ing member 22 are formed with a vertically aligned slot. 66 and hole 67 with the forward edge of said segments normally engaging a corresponding contoured upper and.

rearward edge of the segments 24 to form the end walls of the aforementioned variable blade channel 68;

in the aforenamed blade chamber 18 between the clamping member 22 and platform 21.

to side of the blade head RH.

wherein the said elongated slot 4-1 is formed centrally thereof. The rearward edge of said slot is defined by a downturned lip 76, extruded from the body portion of' the plate, and which as will appear, receives continuousreaction from the upper end of the flexible portion 40 of the leaf spring 39 to urge the platform rearwardly. Numeral 77 designates the rear edge of the platform 21, and numeral 79 indicates, preferably, a pair of aligned longitudinal ridge portions preferably two in number, as best seen in FIGURE 6, said ridges serving as a pre ferred means for supporting the butt edge of the blade in the most efficient cutting angle.

An extension or tab 80 projects laterally from each side edge of the platform, and in the assembled razor. Each of these tabs is slidably disposed in one of the elongated slots 64 as shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 7.

The clamping mem-- ber 22 has a forward marginal portion 70, and is sev-- ered from the top wall at the sides thereof and dis-- placed downwardly as at 71 in FIGURE 3, to provide a yieldable blade-clamping edge 72 extending from side:

Projecting rearwardly from the rear edge of the platform 21 is a thumb or finger tab 81 medially disposed with respect to the platform and which projects through the opening 58 aforesaid while the extremities of the rear edge of the platform are formed with identical projections 82 each having laterally extending pintles 83 projecting in the slots 66 to form a pivotal connection between the clamping member 22 and platform. Other pintles 84 are pressfitted into holes 86 formed in the outer legs of the magnets 55, said latter pintles being journaled in holes 67 in the clamping member end wall segments whereby the clamping member is provided with pivotal movement via pivotal connection 66, 83 relatively to the platform 21 and support member 20 responsive to manual pressure applied to the thumb tab 81 and opposed movement thereof by the leaf spring 39 when manual pressure is removed from the tab.

Numeral 88 designates a longitudinal guard segment constituting the forward marginal edge portion of the plate 21, and at each forward corner thereof, an integral upstanding lug or blade stop 89 is provided with an undercut as at 90. For cleansing purposes as is understood, a series of elongated openings 91 are preferably provided in the plate adjacent the guard segment and subjacent to the cutting edge of the blade.

A feature of the instant invention is that it is adapted for use with any of the conventional single cutting edge type of blade, such as that exemplarily shown in the drawings and generally indicated at B. Blades of this character are well known and include a cutting edge 92 opposite a rounded butt edge 93, the last-mentioned edge may be, for example, equipped with an arcuate segment of a reversely bent reinforcing metallic strip to facilitate handling, as is well understood.

Some blades of this nature have slots, apertures, and so on, formed therein for cooperation with complemental blade loading and/ or retaining elements of certain commercial types of razors, but it is noted that the present magnetic razor construction requires no formations of any kind in the blade body. It is also to be noted, however, that present-day blades which do incorporate such apertures, stencils, and the like, may be as efficiently and successfully accommodated by the razor head of my invention as those which do not.

The underside of the clamping member 22 is equipped with a U-shaped flexible blade chute 95 which is secured to the rearward medial portion of the member 22 as by a pair of rivets 96. The upper leg 97 of the chute is fastened to the member 22 by said rivets with the closed end 98 of the chute normally projecting slightly rearwardly of the curved surface portions of the magnet legs to enable the butt edge of the inserted blade to engage the magnetic surfaces free of interference from the bottom of the chute while the lower leg 99 of the chute extends forwardly toward the blade cutting components whereby the inserted blade, as portrayed in FIGURE 5, is rotated in unison with the clamping member when opened for cleansing or removal yet the blade may be freely oscillated in response to razor motion while its butt edge is held by the magnets 55 to enable thorough cleansing of both sides of the blade and the razor head as by water flow without likelihood of the blade becoming dislodged from the razor head RH until it is desired to change the blade. Thus the blade chute 95 cooperates with the butt portion of the blade to insure that the butt edge is always connected with the magnetic holding surfaces for clamping in shaving position when the razor head is closed as shown in FIGURE 1, but during a selective open position of the razor head, the blade is retained by its butt edge by the magnetic holding means to prevent fortuitous displacement during intermittent cleansing while shaving. Furthermore, when inserting a new blade buttwise, the chute guides the blade into proper position for magnetic attraction and subsequent clamping when the clamping member is released since the chute insures that the butt 6 edge of the blade will follow the curved surface of the magnetic legs aforesaid which establishes the corners of the blade cutting edge behind the stops 89 for entrance into the undercuts when the platform 21 and clamping member 22 are moved to their respective blade holding positions clearly shown in FIGURE 5. It is also important to note that the rearward looped portion of the chute is freely received between the magnets 55 into the opening 58 therebetween, and that the chute is made of springy sheet metal whereby the lower leg 99 may be deformed upwardly substantially parallel to the plane of the underside of the blade with its butt edge resting on the ridge portions 79 in shaving position when the razor head RH is closed. Accordingly, when the razor head is opened, the chute tends to expand at its open end to accommodate limited relative movement of the blade with respect to the clamping member with the butt edge forming the pivotal connection with the curved surface of the magnetic holding legs 59.

Operation Although the manner in which my invention achieves its objectives should be manifest from the foregoing description augmented by an inspection of the drawing, a brief explanation is deemed apropos, and will be given as follows:

What will be considered a shaving cycle will now be described with reference to the razor of the present invention. Such a cycle comprising the steps of successively mounting a blade B in effective cutting position; thereupon shaving in normal fashion interrupted by opening the razor head to remove the beard-ladened lather without dislodging the blade from the head; and thereafter effecting removal of said blade in the event a blade change is needed, responsive to opening the clamping member 22 to place the butt edge of the blade on the non-magnetic strip aforesaid to release the blade for easy removal either between the fingers or inverting the razor head for removal by gravity. Blades are insertable into and removable from the blade chamber via the forward opening defined by the solid line fully retracted position of the clamping member 22 as shown in FIGURE 7 with respect to the platform 21, while the blade cutting components comprising the guard segment 88 and blade cutting edge 92 project through the longitudinal opening defined by the longitudinal edge 72 of the clamping member 22, the subjacently disposed longitudinal edge of the support extension 20 and the vertical longitudinally spaced edges of the interconnecting side wall segments 24 and included blade stops 89. Thus, the aforesaid longitudinal opening forms the forward termini of the blade chamber within the razor frame RH, and the normally spanning space between the stops 89 and magnets 55 defines the variable blade channel 68 which is capable of being widened responsive to manual pressure on the tab 81 which operation moves the platform 21 forwardly in opposition to the reaction from leaf spring 39 to release the stops 89 from the cutting edge of the blade and thereby release the latter for pivotal movement with the clamping member when operated to its dashed line open position shown in FIGURE 7, the magnets 55 maintaining the butt edge of the blade connected therewith yet accommodating limited oscillatory movement of the blade on the magnets relative to the clamping member as defined by the expanded opening of the blade chute carried thereby so that the blade may be thoroughly rinsed without likelihood of displacement from the open razor head, said oscillatory movement of the blade being an inertial function of razor motion.

Initially it will be assumed that the razor R is empty. At such time, the flexible end portion of the leaf spring 39 ,is exerting rearward pressure against the lip 76, thus biasing the rear edge of the platform into engagement with the confronting sides of the magnets 55 wherein the blade channel 68 is reduced to less width than blade enamels width and the forward edge of the clamping member 22 engages the upper side of the slidable platform rearward of the blade stops 89 due to the action of the leaf spring 39 being transmitted through the pivotal connection 66, 83 to the clamping member, the latter having pivotal connection 67, 84 with the extremes of the magnets 55 which connections convert the sliding movement of the platform 21 into simultaneous rotational movement of the clamping member 22. The thumb piece 81 is now pressed forwardly to slide the platform 42 correspondingly to open the blade channel 63 wider than the width of the blade, and the clamping member 22 is pivotally retracted substantially to the poistion of FIGURE 7. This opening operation is performed by grasping the razor handle in one hand and operating the thumb piece with the thumb of that hand. The ends of the blade are now grasped between the thumb and forefinger of the other hand and the blade with its butt edge in the lead is propelled rearwardly until the butt edge enters the magnetic field of the two magnets 55 whereupon the blade is automatically and instantly drawn into the chute and guided thereby into contact with the curved surfaces of the magnet legs and so held notwithstanding the butt edge of the blade is movable along the curved surfaces during opening and closing of the razor head RH.

The razor head is now ready to be closed to stabilize the blade for a shaving operation which is accomplished by releasing the thumb piece enabling the leaf spring 39 to retract the blade platform 21 and thus bring the steps 89 into engagement with the corners of the cutting edge to thereby impinge the blade between the magnets 55 .and stops aforesaid wherein the blade channel 68 assumes the same width as the width of the blade, and the clamping member 22 is rotated into engagement with the upper marginal face portion of the blade adjacent the cutting edge thereof. The razor is now closed and ready for a shaving operation.

The solid line position of the clamping member 22 demonstrated in FIGURE 7 portrays the extreme open position of the razor head RH wherein the butt edge of the blade is registered with the non-magnetic strip 62 embedded in the surface of the curved ends of the four magnetic legs 59, to effect release of the magnetic hold on the blade and thereby facilitate its removal when a blade change is required. Normally, the clamping member 22 is rotated to the dashed line position shown in this view wherein the razor head RH is partially open so that the blade may be cleaned without interrupting the magnetic hold thereon as a shaving operation progresses to prevent clogging of the razor-cutting components as is understood.

Thus it should be manifest that blade-insertion into effective shaving position is a simple operation. The finger piece 81 obviously facilitates this operation, and the longitudinal arcuate ridges 79 together with the magnetic action automatically maneuver the blade into its most desirable and effective angular cutting position. The rearwardly biasing force of the leaf spring 39 now maintains the cutting edge of the blade in intimate contact with the forward stops 8% wherein the blade channel 68 is adjusted to blade width firmly held between the aforesaid stops and magnets 55 while the forward flexible portion 70 of the clamping member 22 presses against the upper surface portion of the blade adjacent the cutting edge thereof to insure stability of the blade within the razor head during a shaving operation. And it should be importantly pointed out here that when a blade is inserted into the open razor head RH that the magnetic action on the butt edge not only draws the blade square with the blade support platform 21 but also positions the blade for engagement with the pair of longitudinally spaced front stops when the razor head is subsequently closed which insures that both corners of the cutting edge are presented in alignment with their respective stop 89 as the head is being closed and prior to the platform becoming fully retracted under influence of the spring 39 to clamp the blade between the pair of stops and magnets 55 as clearly shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 5. Consequently, the rear edge of the platform 21 cannot engage the mag nets 55 while a blade is in the razor thus rendering the spring 3% effective to clamp it in shaving position, but when the platform is advanced by thumb pressure on the tab 81, the stops 89 are released from the corners of the blade cutting edge but the magnets retain the blade in proper position for clamping. If the cover 22 is raised as would be the case in advancing the platform due to the pivotal connection therebetween, the chute will simultaneously expand and lift the blade from the platform so that it may be oscillated relatively while held within the razor head RH by the magnets 55 for thorough cleansing during and after a shaving operation in response to a reciprocating motion of the razor substantially normal to the razor blade while held in a flow of water as from an open faucet. Also note that in closing the razor head, the blade rocks by its own weight toward the platform 21 while held at its butt edge by the magnets and therefore comes to rest on the upper surface of the platform adjacent the stops 89 before the clamping cover 22 becomes effective on the upper surface of the blade adjacent the cutting edge, thus the cutting edge is always in registry with the front stops 89. Also when the razor is open, and a blade inserted, the operator can always be sure that the blade is automatically adjusted square with the blade channel 68 by the magnets and so held to prevent the dangerous possibility of the razor being closed with one of the corners of the cutting edge not engaged with its stop 89 due to crisscross placement of the blade with resultant improper clamping in position to shave which is a common fault in the operation of conventional types of safety razors utilizing a single-edge blade leading to personal injury unless unusual caution is exercised during a blade change.

Further considering the advantage provided by the nonmagnetic strip 62, it should be noted that the butt edge of the blade can be either disposed fully on this strip where the magnetic pull is fully effective on the blade or the butt edge can span the strip and an adjacent portion of the curved surface of the magnet legs 59 to reduce the holding effect sufiiciently for easy removal by the fingers. This latter arrangement is rendered effective by adjusting the sweep of the clamping member 22 to a slightly less or greater are of travel than established at the full line position thereof as shown in FIGURE 7.

Thus, it should be manifest that my invention discloses a new and novel safety razor that is very simple in design, that is adapted to accommodate conventional single-edged blades, that is easy to manipulate, and that is manipulatable without risk of personal injury. The manner in which the razor is assembled is deemed to be evident from the drawings, and will therefore not be described in detail. The razor head segment 20 is characterized by a degree of flexibility enabling it to be deformed suficiently to accommodate entry of the platform extensions 8t} into the slots 64 prior to attachment of the bracket 31, as should be clearly understood. The sleeve or band 46 is split longitudinally centrally at 47, so that it may be sprung into place about the handle section 16 with the leaf spring 39 anchored in place.

It should be particularly noted that the present safety razor is fully operative for shaving in the event that the magnets '55 should become demagnetized, partially or fully, since these two elements act as mechanical butt edge stops in the usual manner when the razor head RH is closed. Accordingly, an inserted blade may be positioned in the open head for subsequent clamping action between the forward cutting edge stops S9 and the rear butt edge stops 55 but caution must be exercised in the placement of the blade on the platform to insure that the corners of the cutting edge register with the undercuts 9G in the front stops 89 before the cover 22 is fully closed.

9 This precautionary statement relating to the hazardous operation of all safety razors currently on the market which utilize front blade stops, serves to emphasize the novel advantages resulting from the magnetized condition of the stops 55 to provide automatic maneuvering of an inserted blade into correct clamping position and maintenance of the blade within the head, when open, to facilitate cleaning thereof, said blade being pivotally held at its butt edge on the curved surfaces of the magnetic poles 59 whereby manual manipulation of the razor induces limited inertial oscillatory movements of the blade as defined by the chute opening to insure thorough cleansing of both sides of the blade and interior of the razor head.

Referring to the terminology used in the foregoing description and in the appended claims, the identifying expressions and/ or terms employed are intended to convey meanings which include the range of reasonable equivalents in the patent sense. For example, the expressions, razor head, razor frame, interfitting members, clamping members, blade channel, are intended to include any structure or chamber for the reception of a razor blade of the single-edge type, whether such assembly provides for sliding or pivotal relative movement of the members to accommodate insertion and removal of the blade, or a ditferent type of movement serving the same purpose. The terms depending, upstanding, subjacent, superjacent, top, bottom, .fron rear, and other directional words or characters are intended to have only relative connotation for convenience in describing the structure as it appears in the drawings, and are not intended to be interpreted as establishing any particular orientation with respect to related structure or position of operation of the present disclosure.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described. It is to be understood, however, that the invention contemplates any and all modifications, substitutions, and/or arrangements thereof that may fall within the purview of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a safety razor having a handle and adapted for use in cooperation with a blade characterized by a cutting edge opposite a blunt edge, the improvement which comprises: a three-piece shaving head having a variable blade channel defined by a rectilinearly movable first plate provided with a pair of spaced stops normally engageable with the extremities respectively of the blade cutting edge, a second plate fixed to one end of said handle for supporting the first plate, and having a stop normally engageable by the blunt edge of the blade, said first and second plates being spring-biased toward each other in clamping relation to effect engagement of said stops with the blade cutting and blunt edges respectively to stabilize such interposed blade for shaving, a third plate superjacently disposed with respect to said first and second plates and adapted to have rotatable movement to apply clamping pressure on the upper surface of the interposed blade adjacent its cutting edge, means operably interconnecting the first and third plates to impart relative rotational movement to the latter in response to rectilinear movement of the former relative to the second plate, and another means operably interconnecting the first'and second plates to accommodate limited relative rectilinear movement therebetween, said first plate being manually movable relatively to the second plate to open the shaving head and thereby enlarge the said blade channel to effect withdrawal of said stops out of engagement with said cutting and blunt edges of the blade.

2. A safety razor constructed in accordance with claim 1 in which said stop engageable by the blunt edge of said blade is a permanent magnet adapted to exert a continuous magnetic hold on the blunt edge to retain the blade in the shaving head notwithstanding the latter is open, said magnet providing inertial oscillatory movement of the blade on its blunt edge while so held by said magnet in response to motion manually imparted to the razor head while open to accommodate washing lather from the blade.

3. In a safety razor adapted for use in cooperation with a generally planar blade characterized by a cutting edge opposite a blunt edge, said razor having a member fixed to one end of a handle, a blade platform mechanically interconnected with said fixed member to have limited sliding movement relative to the latter member, and spring means including a normally preloaded spring for sliding said platform. in one direction relatively to said fixed member, the improvement which comprises: a blade clamping member pivotally mounted on said fixed member and having a clamping portion normally engageable with a planar portion on the blade adjacent the cutting edge thereof; a pair of spaced blade cutting edge stops mounted on the platform adjacent the \forward extremity thereof; a mechanical connection between said platform and said clamping member adapted to impart relative pivotal movement to the latter member in response to sliding movement of the platform, thereby disengaging the said clamping portion from the planar portion on the blade; a permanent magnet mounted on the fixed member in spaced parallel relation with respect to said pair of blade stops to provide a variable blade channel therebetween into which the blade is received; means accommodating application of manual force on said platform to slide the same in an opposite direction opposed by said spring means to enlarge the blade channel and thereby release said stops from the cutting edge of the blade; and a blade chute mounted on the underside of said clamping member for controlling the blunt edge of the blade toward the magnet, the latter being effective to magnetically grasp the blade by its blunt edge to enable inertial oscillatory movement of said blade relative to said blade chute and said magnet in response to motion manually imparted to the razor notwithstanding the blade channel has been predeterminately enlarged upon manually sliding the platform in said opposite direction relatively to said fixed member.

4. In a safety razor adapted for use in cooperation with new blades characterized by a cutting edge opposite a blunt edge and insertable individually between a pair of members movable relatively from a clamping position on an interposed blade stabilized for shaving to a bladereleasing position, and biasing means for urging said members toward clamping position, the improvement which comprises: a permanent magnet mounted on the razor and adapted to magnetically grasp the blunt edge of such interposed blade and retain the same between said members notwithstanding the latter are moved to bladereleasing position to enable such interposed blade to have inertial oscillatory movement on its blunt edge relative to said magnet and said members in response to motion manually imparted to said razor; and manually-operatable means for effecting relative movement of said members to blade-releasing position in opposition to said biasing means.

5. In a safety razor adapted for use in cooperation with new blades characterized by a cutting edge opposite a blunt edge and insertable individually between a pair of members movable relatively from a clamping position on an interposed blade stabilized for shaving to first and second blade-releasing positions, and biasing means for urging said members toward clamping position, the improvement which comprises: a permament magnet mounted on the razor and adapted to magnetically grasp the blunt edge of such interposed blade and retain the same between said members notwithstanding the latter are moved to first blade-releasing position to enable such interposed blade to have inertial oscillatory movement on its blunt edge relative to said magnet and said members in response to motion manually imparted to said razor; manuallyoperatable means for effecting relative movement of said members to first and second blade-releasing positions in opposition to said biasing means; a nonmagnetic element associated with said magnet to interrupt the magnetic grasp on such interposed blade upon manual movement of said members and said blade to second blade-releasing position; and means interconnecting such interposed blade with one of said members to move as a unit to second blade-releasing position wherein the blunt edge of the interposed blade wholly engages said nonmagnetic element thereby interrupting said magnetic grasp on the blade to facilitate a blade-change.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Savage Apr. 21, 1925 Ross Mar. 6, 1945 Sanders Dec. 5, 1950 Randol Oct. 30, 1956 Randol May 12, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 10, 1932 

